Eating REAL food

I've had a lot of people in the last few weeks ask me about what I am eating...the easy answer is that I am eating REAL food! 

Nothing processed.

Lots and lots of fresh food.

(okay... a little processed as I look at the picture below and see the non-dairy creamer in my coffee... )

So here is what I had this morning for breakfast after a 4 mile incredibly humid/sticky run!

I had a bowl of steel cut oats, some fresh fruit, a glass of water and a cup of coffee.

Side note: I use the Hungry Girl  oatmeal philosophy.. My huge bowl of oatmeal is 1/3 cup steel cut oats, 1 cup water and 2/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk. You cook it just like normal, just longer. Instead of a small bowl, you end up with a huge bowl! And yes, that is a little butter (less than a pat.. but it is the real thing) and a teaspoon of brown sugar.

When I cut up fruit for breakfast, I go ahead and cut up some for lunch.

Lunch is a salad. It's a big salad, but fits in the take along (quart size?) tub.

I have 1/2 and 1/2 spinach and mixed greens first. Then a handful of coleslaw mixture (no sauce on it!) some edamame, yellow bell pepper, cucumber, tomato, carrots and avocado. 

I have a small container of balsamic vinaigrette to put on the salad, if I feel like it. I don't use dressing very often, but sometimes I do.

I will also eat my cup of beans with lunch. I often put the beans in the salad.

And that's lunch. 

What I really like is that for whatever reason, eating this crunchy salad takes time and work.  You have to CHEW the food and since it's work it takes my entire lunch time.  When I ate processed junk for lunch, it would only take a few minutes and then I snacked and often ate more than I intended cause I didn't have anything else to do!

Another thing is that I am NOT counting calories, nor am I worried about the fat in the avocado! Since I'm doing my best to eat a pound of raw veggies, a pound of cooked veggies, a cup of beans and three fruits everyday, there just really isn't any need to worry about calories or fat. I like avocado and I like nuts, so I'm eating them and enjoying them!

In addition to the "approved" Eat to Live foods, I also have my serving or so of non-dairy creamer. I have the equivalent of about a cup and a half of coffee every day and then at night I have a glass of white wine. 

For dinner, I eat my cooked vegetables and often more beans and sometimes some fish or a little chicken. Eat to Live allows for 12 ounces of lean meat/fish a week, and really that is more than enough for me.  

Another question I am asking myself, and others have asked..

Will I be able to continue this lifestyle past the 6 weeks that I committed to? I'm planning on it. I may let up on the very limited meat part, but I don't know, I'm not really missing the meats.  I'll probably add back a little dairy, but I've never been a big milk fan. I do however like cheese dip!

All in all,  I feel better than I have in years and in case I haven't said it lately.. I am SLEEPING better than I have ever slept!!

No Spanx here baby!

My Eat to Live Update.. Week 4

Mother's Day 2015

That's all me. No Spanx, no girdle, no nothing extra to keep me tucked in.

This past week I've not eaten my best.. we had birthday cake and teacher appreciation lunches, I've coughed and coughed so I haven't been able to work out like I wanted.. but even in the midst of all that, I've worked hard to eat my raw veggies, my cooked veggies, my beans and my fruit.

And I've lost at least another pound.

I feel better than I have in like forever.  

I was going to call this week a do-over week. Till I put that dress on! 

Yeah, I'm excited.

Whew, there is something about that first full week of May

There is just something about the first full week of May each year. It's like the turn of the calendar makes everything go into warp speed.

I am trying to slow down my brain and enjoy the moments as I can.

The week started out with Maddie celebrating her 15th birthday. Like every mother, I just shook my head and wondered where these years have gone!

I continued my daily handstand challenge, and even mastered the handstand in the yard without a wall to lean on! I was so pumped.

Also this week Maddie had colorguard tryouts for next year's guard. It wasn't nerve wrecking this time as we knew what to expect, and we knew that as long as she didn't just do horribly, she would make the team.

She did, along with her best friend! 

Friday night found Doug and I out to eat with just Kylie. We haven't had many meals out with just the little one, but I have a feeling that this is a glimpse of our future.

I found it nostalgic.. Kylie loved having all of our attention.

And we finished the week with Mother's Day today. Here we are at church. 

And then we came home and Kylie did handstands with me!

 Life is busy, but oh so good.

A Handstand and a Memory

I had to share today's handstand! 

(I don't know what day it is.. I don't keep count like that..it's just another day, another handstand!)

The back story is that I feel like crud. I'm exhausted and worn out and have low morale.

But in the midst of work yuck, my students have my heart.

This afternoon after class (while running a fever no less) I went across to the dance studio so that I could do my handstand in a new place.

My advanced art students who I dearly love are also top dancers. They know about my Eat to Live quest and my handstand challenge. 

I asked one of the girls if she would take a cool picture of me.. she said sure, but then she and a couple of other girls discussed doing handstands with me!

I said let's do it. Then they pretty much backed out.

So Allison helped me into my handstand (don't want to foot plant the mirror!) and then stood back and watched as I said come on!

So she ran over (as seen in picture 2) and Shelby (another of my babies) helped her and we took a picture.

What was so funny about the process is that all the while we were laughing and playing around.. and I was upside down, the dance teacher, was watching. The other dancers tried to get her to join our handstand party by chanting her name.

She said no. She said that I had been working out! 

I have to say, my heart needed that. The dance teacher is fit and young.. and she didn't want to do a handstand.. but I was STILL doing one. :)

Yeah, in reality it was probably less than 20 seconds AND my feet were balanced on the wall, but I felt like a rock star!

So this is me. Being real with my students. Oh how these kids have my heart.

My 30 day Handstand Challenge!

As part of my challenge to get stronger, I've decided to focus on 30 days of handstands. I am going to document my efforts.  (you are welcome.)

Day 1. At home at the end of a long day. But I did it.

Day 2. In my classroom, for my high school students!

Day 3: Saturday morning, after a 6 mile run. I don't know if you can see, but I am straight up here. NOT leaning on the wall. I held it like this for at least a second or two! :)  Progress. Slow. and. Steady.

I can't wait to see what I can do after 30 days. My goal is that I will be able to stand for a minute.